The man once known as Jake La Motta and the man forever identified as Rocky Balboa will square off in a tale of two retired fighters lured back into the ring in order to settle an old score.

It sounds like at least part of their rivalry will have to do with Basinger’s character which, if it all pans out, will mark the second time in a couple of years that De Niro plays a retired bloke still harbouring resentment over old romance, as he’s on to do something similar in next year’s Last Vegas.

Kevin Hart is playing the fight promoter who sees a fast buck and sets up the clash. Everyone will work from a script by Doug Ellin, who re-wrote original scribe Tim Kelleher’s work. Segal is setting up to shoot sometime in 2013.

Basinger was most recently seen in Charlie St. Cloud and is filming Paul Haggis’ latest, Third Person.